This invention relates to hard surface cleaners, particularly cleaners for soap scum and mold and mildew.
Bathroom cleaners targeted at removing soap scum from hard surfaces such as bathroom tiles and countertops are well known in the art. Among commercial cleaners of these type are Lysol Basin Tub and Tile Cleaner. Because soap scum has proven to be difficult to clean, the commercial cleaners aimed at soap scum removal tend to contain relatively high levels of chelating agent and solvent (typically, &gt;4% of each). The chelant of choice in these cleaners has been the tetrasodium salt of ethylenediamime tetraacetic acid (EDTA). In U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,479 to Flanagan is described a cleaning composition targeted at soap scum removal. That composition contains about 6 weight percent of chelants and about 3 weight percent of solvents. Compositions such as these are effective at removing soap scum, but are disadvantageous in that they have significant raw material costs due to high levels of chelants and solvents. In addition, some of these products contain high levels of solids, and thus have the disadvantage of leaving streaks and residuals when they are used. However, this latter problem cannot be solved through dilution, because high chelant and solvent levels are needed in those compositions to effectively remove the soap scum.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a cleaner which is effective on soap scum, but which uses lower amounts of expensive ingredients and does not significantly streak or leave significant residue when it is used.
A further disadvantage of these previously known soap scum cleaners is that they are ineffective in cleaning mold and mildew. Because mold and mildew are common problems on surfaces where soap scum is often found, it is highly desirable to provide a cleaner which is effective on both of these materials.